TIME WARPED
Timeless, perched on a mountain top, I stood watching the world below. I could not feel the cold or hear the wind. Jules sensed that I was ill-at-ease….
“What is on your mind, Sofía?”
I was thinking of the irony in my circumstances. When I was time-bound, I fractured myself away to avoid its limitations. And now that I am timeless, I find myself bound by its absence…. Although teleporting was fun, being unable to move was inconvenient. And my sensory disruption was a constant source of bewilderment. Even so, I surprised myself when I blurted out –
“Jules, can a timeless existence be considered as the absence of one?”
And even more shocked when I heard Jules’ answer!
“Would you like to reach your own conclusion on the matter? I can open the door for you — if you like. All you have to do is jump.”
I did it! I jumped off! All at once, everything began to change. I could feel the full weight of my body. As gravity pulled me down, and I picked up speed. The air all around me was freezing cold. The loud swooshing of the wind drowned all other sounds. It was so thrilling…. Until the moment I caught sight of the ground. Suddenly, I panicked –
“Am I going to die?”
Jules had anticipated my reaction –
“Don’t be afraid Sofía — you won’t get hurt.”
Almost immediately, a cloud of fog surrounded me, and after that, my body floated down, until it landed on the ground. I found myself standing before an enormous door. Oddly, it looked like the face of a clock.
“Roman numerals…. Where have I seen this before?”
As soon as the door closed behind me, I began to choke. Once more, Jules came to my rescue –
“Sofía, take a deep breath — let your lungs fill with air. Very good. Now, exhale.”
I adjusted quickly. Breathing soon became second nature.
I was standing in a broad corridor, with a very high ceiling — about thirty feet high. The walls on both sides were completely covered in frames, they were all the same size, and they were all empty. There was a dazzling light emanating from the opposite end of the corridor.
“What is this place, Jules?”
She responded –
“This corridor contains your time-bound memories, Sofía. We are at the beginning of your existence.”
Before she finished speaking, I saw the first image appeared in one of the frames — it was the memory of my birth. Every step forward revealed a new memory. I was astonished! First, the memories reflected instinctive feelings — like my contentment in my mother’s arms. Then, the memories began to show experiences — like the first time I crawled across the room. As my instincts were tempered by knowledge, the images became more complex — like my memory of trick-or-treating, when I was chased by a dog, as well as assaulted by bullies, who threw eggs at me.
“No wonder I never went trick-or-treating again!”
I sighed…. Nevertheless, some memories were very lovely. When I was in elementary school, I lived with my grandmother for a time –
“Every morning we would go to the garden. She would teach me short poems and tongue-twisters, while she watered the plants. Her Jasmine tree had such sweet fragrance….”
Other memories were not so endearing. When I was in high school, my Typing professor accused me of cheating in a test –
“How can anyone cheat during a dictation test?!”
As I revisited these memories, I felt like part of me was living through them once again. I understood how each of them transformed me.
I saw years turned into decades. I noticed that some frames had become larger than the rest. I asked Jules –
“Why are they bigger than they used to be?”
The explanation made sense. Those were pivotal moments in my life, which stayed relevant and influenced other moments throughout the years. I was staring at one of those moments — the day I lost my mother….
“I was barely thirteen. There were four of us, but only I survived. I will never forget Carlos’ last gasping breaths…. Or the sparks flying around me, while the fire-fighters cut through metal to get me out. When they put me in the ambulance, something inside me knew that I would never see my mother again….”
Jules spoke softly, comfortingly –
“Certainly, such a day would leave an indelible mark in you. I know that this experience changed the way you see yourself and the way you make choices.”
I added –
“Not only that Jules, but I was never able to be in a car with some degree of trepidation. To me, they were lethal weapons!”
Indeed, traumatic moments continue to affect us in some way or another throughout the rest of our lives. They become an intrinsic part of our existence.
My steady progress through the corridor brought me closer to the point of my destination — its opposite end. Where, originally, I had seen only light, now I could clearly see an open door. It was very ornate — white and beautifully carved — and it was massive! It stood wide open, so I could see past it. Beyond the door, there stood a giant mosaic, made up of thousands of pictures. It was enveloped in light, which made it look ethereal. Upon further examination, I realized that the pictures in the mosaic were the same as the images in the frames.
“Jules, why is that mosaic outside the corridor? And why are the pictures out of order?”
I was puzzled, so Jules explained it for me –
“The mosaic serves a different purpose from the corridor, Sofía. Within the corridor, the images portray your history, as it unfolds. Therefore, time’s progression dictates its chronological order. But in the mosaic, the pictures display the interconnection between all moments — past, present, and future. Some memories change the way you experience other moments. Therefore, until you leave the corridor, the pictures in the mosaic will continue to shift, and reconfigure.”
This was so brilliant! Time’s linear progression may force us to experience life one moment at a time — under the uncertainty of the future. But once we go beyond its reach, the meaning of our existence is revealed by our legacy — our final likeness — the contribution our existence made to the people and the world we experienced.
Suddenly, I was stunned by a loud ticking! I blinked twice, and looked around, trying to determine where I was. I felt disoriented. I saw the clock on the wall — it had Roman numerals…
“This is very familiar….”
The fragrance of ginger and lemon filled my nostrils –
“My tea!”
I exclaimed. I asked Jules –
“Am I back home? I didn’t get to reach the end! Jules?”
A familiar voice took me by surprise –
“Mommy? Is daddy back? Who are you talking to?”
I looked at the clock in the wall. It showed me that it was way past my bedtime! I answered my little one –
“Come here Ari. Mommy was having a dream, that’s all! But I guess is time for us to go to bed now.”
I poured the tea down the drain, picked up my little bundle of joy, and headed up the stairs. I put Ari down in her bed, and whispered in her ear –
“I love you so much, Ari.”
And she whispered back –
“I love you too, mommy. Sweet dreams.”
I was finally in bed, but I couldn’t fall asleep. I felt restless. I often considered myself trapped by time. Yet, after my trippy dream, I began to reconsider my perspective. It is a good thing that every new day brings me an opportunity to make a different choice — to change. Although I don’t know how much time I have to accomplish my goals, I know that I have the power to advance towards them, until the moment I take my last breath. I could almost hear Jules’ voice inside my head, saying –
“Sofía, time gives you the power to shape your legacy. Therefore, go to sleep. Rest well. And when you wake up, experience each moment to the best of your abilities.”
I took a deep breath and sighed…. Then, I said out loud –
“Hey Siri, turn off the bedroom lights!”
I closed my eyes, and soon my exhaustion did its work. Once more, I was transported to the land of dreams — a place of wonder and possibility….
